Readings about Rhetorical Foundations

This section features chapters that further apply the ideas about rhetoric offered in the Rhetorical Foundations section. These understandings of rhetoric hopefully build on the knowledge you accumulated in your first Composition course. In ENGL 1010 you focused on the use of rhetoric for better understanding genre and conducting primary research; however, the essays in this section are designed to help you think about the connections of rhetoric to research.

Patricia Roberts-Miller’s Rhetoric is Synonymous With Empty Speech refutes the popular notion that anything referred to as “rhetoric” is ultimately meaningless or meant to be misleading. Instead, she demonstrates an understanding of rhetoric that is central to effective communication.

In Identifying Rhetorical Foundations For Research, Jennifer Clary-Lemon, Derek Mueller, and Kate Pantelides discuss the recursive nature of research,  how research may vary across disciplines, and the ethical use of research methods, as well as offer some exercises that will aid your understanding of these concepts.

Nancy Fox draws on ancient texts and contemporary theories of rhetoric to demonstrate the complexity of argumentation in Logos is Synonymous With Logic. She argues that, in order to comprehend the functionality of arguments, a thorough understanding of logos is necessary.

Readings about Rhetorical Foundations targets the following objectives: Reading, Rhetorical Knowledge, and Information Literacy. Chapters 19, 20, and 21 feature readings that address the foundations of rhetoric and writing (Reading and Rhetorical Knowledge), but Chapter 20 will uniquely feature the rhetorical features of performing research in ENGL 1020 (Information Literacy).